Method of fabricating a hull and the product hull



p 1963 E. FREIRE 3,103,019

METHOD OF FABRICATING A HULL AND THE PRODUCT HULL Filed, July 6, 1961 ao c 0 a o 0 o o n I o 0 a c w a I IN VEN TOR. E D W4 ED FRI-72E {WM-MUnited States Patent 3,103,019 METHOD OF FABRICATING A HULL AND THEPRODUCT HULL Edward Freire, Firdale St, Centereach, N.Y. Filed July 6,1961, Ser. No. 122,121 7 Claims. (Ci. 9-6) This invention relatesgenerally to small craft hulls and more particularly to a novelsubstantially unsinkable small craft hull and to the method offabricating the novel hull.

Heretofore, small craft have been modified with extraneous means tointroduce the unsinicable factor. Such extraneous means comprisedflotation chambers or air tight cells that supported the craft in waterin the event of accident or capsizing. The present invention produces asmall craft having an inherent buoyancy that results from the novelmethod of fabrication and from the structure of the craft per se. Moreimportant, the relative cost of manufacture of a small craft having thesafety unsinkable feature varies with basic material and shape of thehull. Fiber or plastic hulls require molds that are expensive andsubsequently increase the selling price of the craft. Conventional woodor metal hulls require a relatively considerable amount of skilled laborto assemble the basic wood or metal elements into the finished hull. Thepresent invention eliminates the mold requirement and reduces theassembly labor to a heretofore unobtainable minimum, thus substantiallyreducing the cost of manufacture.

One of the principal objects of the invention resides in the novelinexpensive method of fabricating a small craft hull.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method offabricating a small craft hull with simplified steps that can be readilyperformed by persons not skilled in the boat building ar-t.

Another object is to provide a novel method of fabrieating the novelhull wherein the basic components can be preformed and sold in kit formfor assembly by the purchaser.

Yet another object is to provide a hull having relatively highresistance to damage or shape distortion resulting from excessivetemperature, excessive loads, or accidental impacts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a basic hull that isreadily adaptable to sail and/ or engine power.

Other ancillary objects will be in part hereinafter pointed out and willbe in part hereinafter apparent.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan elevation of an assembled hull.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectioned view taken along line 2-2 ofFIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of the hull.

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevation of the hull.

FIGURE 5 is a transverse cross-sectioned view taken along line 55 ofFIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is an isometric projection of the longitudinal spacer member.

FIGURE 7 is a partially cut-away side elevation of the spacer memberbeing inserted between the hull forming sheets.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 1% generally designates theassembled basic hull. Hull 1i) comprises upper and lower sheets 12 and14, respectively, spacer member 16 land stern plank 18. Sheets 12 andlid are preferably formed of 1a marine-type plywood consisting oflaminations of wood sheets bonded into predetermined thicknesses bywaterproof glue or a similar binder. Marine plywood composition is wellknown to those skilled in the art and need not be described in detailherein.

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Briefly, the sheet 12 is preferably pre-cut as a unitary member with arounded forward end portion such as designated 20* in FIGURE 1. Theradius of portion 20 is predetermined and of such shape as to conform tothe accepted conventional contour of the bow section of small pleasurecraft. The end portion 20 could be formed in other shapes withoutdeparting from the scope and intent of the present invention. The sheet14 is similarly formed with a contoured end portion 20 which is of suchpredetermined pattern to produce a matching contour when the sheets 12and 14 are united one to the other. As shown in the various figures ofthe drawing, sheets .12 and 14 are disposed one on the other wherein theperipheral edges of one sheet are aligned with the related peripheraledges of the other sheet. Prior to the mounting of one sheet on theother, a sealing compound 22 maybe applied on the adjoining surface ofeach sheet adjacent to the periphenal edges thereof.

The substantially planar sheets 12 and 14 are then secured one to theother by fasteners 24 circumferentially disposed around the alignedsheets with the exception of the stern portion 26. Portion 26- is notfastened in this step of assembly for reasons hereinafter apparent.

Spacer member 16 comprises a longitudinal box-like structure havingupper and lower walls 28 and 30 respectively and side walls 32 and 34respectively. The outer peripheries of the upper and lower walls 28 and30 are transversely arcuate in shape for reasons hereinafter described."Fhe forward end portions of the walls 28, 30, 32, and 34 are pre-shapedto provide a reduced or tapered end portion as of the assembled spacer16. Intermediate stitfeners or baffles 38 may be disposed in securedspaced relation within the box-like spacer 16 to further strengthen themembers defining the walls 28, 30, 32, and 34- and to providecompartments therein if so desired.

In fabricating the hull '11), FIGURE 7, preformed sheets 12 land 14 arepartially bonded and secured one to the other, as hereinbeforedescribed, with the stern defining portion 26 not bonded or fastened.The sheet 12 and the sheet I14 at portion 26 are then centrallyseparated apart one from the other and the tapered end 36 of spacer 16is inserted between the separated sheets. Spacer 16 is urged forwandlybetween sheets 12 and 14 to longitudinally separate and space the sheets12 land 14 one from the other. The maximum separation is along thelongitudinal axis of the sheets. The separation gradually reduces tosubstantially zero where the upper sheet 12 is fastened to the lowersheet 14 along the longitudinal edges and in the bow section 20. Thestern plank-18, precut to shape, and peripherally coated with a sealingcompound 22, is then inserted between the sheets 12 and 14 adjacent tothe stern portion 26 and fastened by means of fasteners 24. With sternplank 18 so assembled, the oavity formed by the spaced sheets 12 and 14is substantially sealed, thereby providing an air chamber.

It will be noted that the upper and lower walls 28 and 30 of spacer 16are aarcuate to conform to the contour of the separated sheets 12 and14. The inherent resiliency of sheets 1-2 and 14 when separated byspacer 16, secure said space in its longitudinal axial relation to thesheets 12 and '14.

The upper surface of sheet 12 now provides a deck area while the lowersurface of sheet 14 forms the water contacting area of the hull. Thesubstantially iarcuate lateral portions of sheet 14 disposed oppositelyof the'spacer 16 form a planing or lifting surface for the hull 10 whensaid hull travels forwardly in water. The beam or width of the hullrelative to the limited depth of the center section of the hull providesa high degree of stability and reduces to a minimum the tendency of thehull to capsize.

Extraneous equipment, such as rigging, motive means, and otherconventional aids, may now be mounted on hull '10 in accordance with thedesired application.

While but a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it will be understood that many modifications and changescould be made without departing from the scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. The method of fabricating a boat hull comprising the steps ofpositioning a pre-shaped fiat sheet of laminated wood on a matchingpre-shaped fiat sheet of laminated wood in stacked edge aligningco-planar relation, sealing and securing plural portions of one sheet tomatching plural portions of the other sheet adjacent to the aligningedges of the sheets, separating the unsecured central portions of thesheets one from the other, inserting a spacer member between theseparated portions of the sheets, and sealing and securing closure meansbetween the separated edges of the sheets to enclose said spacer memberin a hollow sealed chamber.

2. The method of fabricating boat hull comprising the steps ofpositioning a pair of matching pre-shaped fiat laminated wood sheets oneon the other in edge aligned relation, fastening a portion :of thesheets one to the other adjacent to the edges of said sheets, separatingthe unfastened portions of the sheets one from the other, inserting aspacer member between the separated sheets to form a hollow cavity andto maintain the unsecured portion of said sheets in separated spacedrelation, positioning a preshaped wood plank between the separatedsheets adjacent to the separated edges of said sheets, and fasteningsaid sheets to said plank to substantially enclose the cavity formed bythe separated portions of said sheets.

3. The method of fabricating a buoyant member, comprising the steps ofpositioning a pair of fiat elongated sheets of buoyant material one onthe other in superimposed stacked edge aligning relation, fastening andsecuring a portion of the contacting peripheral edges of the sheets oneto the other, separating the other portion of the contacting peripheraledges of the sheets one from the other to form a hollow cavity betweenthe sheets, positioning spacer means between the separated sheets, andpositioning means to enclose the cavity between the separated portion ofthe peripheral edges of the sheets, and securing said enclosing means tosaid sheets.

4. The method of fabricating a boat hull comprising the steps ofpositioning a pair of preashaped planar buoyant sheets in superimposedstacked edge aligned relation, securing a portion of one sheet to thecorresponding portion of the other sheet adjacent to the edges of thesheets, separating the sheets one from the other at the unsecured edgeportion, inserting spacer means between said sheets to form a hollowcavity between the sheets, and sealing the separated edge portion tosubstantially enclose the cavity.

5. The method of fabricating a boat hull, comprising the steps ofpositioning pro-shaped substantially planar sheets of buoyant materialone on the other in contour aligned relation, each of said sheets havingmatching bow, stern, and side defining stacked edges, securing thesheets one to the other adjacent to the bow and side defining edges,separating the stern defining edges of the sheets one from the other,inserting spacer means between the separated sheets, positioning thespacer means centrally between and in parallel relation to the sidedefining edges, inserting a stern member between the separated sterndefining edges of the sheets, and securing the stern member to saidsheets.

6. A boat hull comprising a flat sheet of laminated wood having apredetermined peripheral shape, a second fiat sheet of laminated Woodhaving a similar predetermined peripheral shape superimposed in edgealigning relation on said first sheet, means securing the portions ofthe first sheet adjacent to the edges of said first sheet to matchingedge portions of said second sheet, and means for spacing the unsecuredportions of one sheet from the unsecured portions of the other sheet toform a hollow Watertight chamber between said first and second sheets.

7. A boat hull comprising a fiat sheet of laminated wood havingsubstantially parallel side edges, a contoured forward edge and a linearrear edge, a second sheet of laminated wood having a shape similar tosaid first sheet and superimposed on said first sheet in stacked edgealigned relation, means securing the sheets one to the other in saidstacked edge aligning relation, spaced means longitudinally disposedbetween the first and second sheet in equidistant spaced relation withthe secured parallel side edges of the first and second sheet, saidlongitudinal spacer means substantially extending from the forward edgesof the first and second sheet to the rear edges of the first and secondsheet, and a stern member disposed between the first and second sheetadjacent to the rear edges of said first and second sheet tosubstantially enclose said spacer means in a hollow watertight chamberformed by the spaced first and second sheet and stern member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,379,883 Clement July 10, 1945 2,685,696 Oscanyan Aug. 10, 19542,956,292 Newsome Oct. 18, 1960

1. THE METHOD OF FABRICATING A BOAT HULL COMPRISING THE STEPS OFPOSITIONING A PRE-SHAPED FLAT SHEET OF LAMINATED WOOD ON A MATCHINGPRE-SHAPED FLAT SHEET OF LAMINATED WOOD IN STACKED EDGE ALIGNINGCO-PLANAR RELATION, SEALING AND SECURING PLURAL PORTIONS OF ONE SHEET TOMATCHING PLURAL PORTIONS OF THE OTHER SHEET ADJACENT TO THE ALIGNINGEDGES OF THE SHEETS, SEPARATING THE UNSECURED CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THESHEETS ONE FROM THE OTHER, INSERTING A SPACER MEMBER BETWEEN THESEPARATED PORTIONS OF THE SHEETS, AND SEALING AND SECURING CLOSURE MEANSBETWEEN THE SEPARATED EDGES OF THE SHEETS TO ENCLOSE SAID SPACER MEMBERIN A HOLLOW SEALED CHAMBER.